Recent incidents involving police officers and individuals suspected of a crime have spurred a need for police officers to include wearable recording devices with their daily attire. In conjunction with a dash cam, the two devices may be able to capture vital information that may aid in potential court cases down the road.
The utilization of multiple recording devices is currently a standard in the law enforcement sector. The fact that the two recording devices are not compatible or integrated with one another creates problems for users of both devices. These problems may include time loss, file loss, and file disorganization, as well as the potential for file corruption of a mounted dash cam left unattended with files stored therein.
Of particular concern is the ability to facilitate a reliable and safe transfer of such recorded files to a single server or host computer (of any type, whether cloud-based, as a central server, and the like). Currently, the industry utilizes such separate devices, one worn by an officer and the other mounted within a vehicle in a location that allows for a view of a certain scene in front thereof. The placement on and/or within a dashboard allows such a perspective as well as protection from the elements, if needed. If a situation arises wherein an officer (or officers) stops a suspect or other person (such as a speeder, driver with outward vehicle problems, etc.) and parks behind a parked vehicle, the perspective of the dashboard camera is important in order to show the actions and other specifics pertaining to such a snapshot in time and possibly coupled with the filmed events from the officer's body cam. The inclusion of body camera devices allows for a different standpoint than the dashboard mounted camera, ostensibly to provide a wider range of perspectives of the situation itself, both in terms of protecting not only the officer, but also the other party involved.
The main problem with such a situation is, as alluded to above, the reliable transfers of such video/audio files from the devices in question to a storage server (or like computerized vault of information). Each device is typically handled separately in this manner, requiring either a wireless protocol for both at different times, or a hard-wire transfer of the files from the actual device to a central location (police substation, for example) (and thus the potential need to remove a mounted dash cam for transport to such a server location). Additionally, the files recorded and initially stored within the mounted camera (dashboard, for instance) remain therein for a certain period of time until they can be properly transferred; in the meantime, other files may be stored that are difficult to separate (at least in terms of distinguishing from another file or files present therein). Additionally, the hand-held device (body camera, for instance) itself is typically battery-powered and requires recharging on occasion for proper and reliable functioning. The typical vehicle configuration for such a body camera device includes a charging cord (to a charging dock, either within the vehicle or integrated within an on-board computer). Such a situation, though, requires removal of the camera from the officer and placement within the vehicle in an area that may not be configured for such a situation. In other words, the potential for losing track of such a hand-held device is relatively easy in such a situation, leaving a desire for an improved charge activity (at least in terms of facilitating overall implementation of the hand-held device quickly when needed after or possibly during a charging event).
To date, however, there has been lacking any such system, method, or device configuration advancements to meet these delineated needs.